"Excuse the battle dress," she said. "I'm due in court."
Doe Landestoy turned away and giggled.
Janek handed her Aaron's Sarah-Gilette file. He had never read it. She put it in her desk.
"Can we go someplace and talk?"
"You can walk me over to the courthouse," Netti said.
"Where's Rudnick?" he asked on the stairs.
"In the law library. He haunts the place."
"The other night-" "Please, Frank," she said gently, "don't tell me you've ad regrets."
"Absolutely not."
"Neither have I."
"Well, now that that's settled..
They emerged laughing onto Canal Street, made their way through the throng, crossed, then entered Chinatown. "I need a favor," Janek said.
"What's up?"
"A young woman I know is in pretty bad trouble. She needs a good lawyer."
Netti opened her purse, handed him her business card. "Tell her to call me anytime."
They walked past a pagoda-shaped telephone booth. The sidewalks were slippery. Chinese men in sleeveless shirts were unloading fish off the backs of trucks.
"I wonder if you'd-?"
"-finish telling you what I started to tell you the other night?"
He gazed at her. "Are you telepathic?"
"Depends on who I'm talking to."
"You amaze me." I She smiled. "Let's hope I always do."
The air on Mott Street was aromatic: roasting barbecued ducks and ribs, scented breads.
"So, what do you want to know?" she asked.
"You mentioned the Clury angle, how it was connected, as opposed to the way everyone thinks. You said something about another agenda, someone wanting Clury blown up for his own reasons."
"You've got a good memory."
"It was a night to remember.
She smiled again. "Forget Mendoza for a while, follow up on Clury. You might discover something that'll give you a whole new slant on the thing."
"I can see why you'd want me to forget Mendoza."
"Nothing to do with my representing him. Just take a look at the case from another point of view-the Clury point of view."
"You're being cryptic."
"I have to be."
They passed a greens market. Two elderly Chinese women, with Mao-era haircuts, were picking over the vegetables.
Mendoza's pretty rich, isn't he?" "Like Croesus," she said. "But you're changing the subject."
"A guy like that-life sentence, no possibility of parole-can he still control his money?"
"Some convicts appoint a trustee. Jake writes most of his own checks.
But he also uses his old lawyer, Andrews, as fiduciary. By the way, the only reason Andrews didn't represent him on the murder charge was because he didn't know bat-shit about criminal defense. He still doesn't." Is o, if Jake wanted, say, to bid on a Van Gogh at auction, he could do it even though he's locked up."
"Right. So, what're you driving at?"
"Something else I'm going to be looking into."
Netti glanced at him. "Who's being cryptic now?"
"Then there's the El Paso thing… " he remarked casually.
"What about it?" She was annoyed. "You seem to have a lot on your mind."
"Department figures it was a copycat job."
"Naturally." She spoke with disdain.
"You don't really think it proves anything?"
"Let's put it this way-in a case like this I'll use every little thing I've got."
"So, you think I ought to look into Clury?"
"I'd say that's the smart move."
"You wouldn't be trying to mislead me, would you, Netti?" "Anyone else, Frank, and I'd never give it a thought.
But not you. I've gotten to know you too well. And besides, you're a client."
She glanced at her watch. "Gotta run. Late for court." She kissed him quickly on the cheek, then strode off.
He stood at the edge of Chinatown, watching her take long, loping strides toward the courthouse, her mane of red hair flowing behind her.
She looked awfully good, he thought.
Back at the Property building, walking down the corridor, he heard laughter issuing from Special Squad. When he entered he found Gelsey, stripped to her bra, sitting on Aaron's desk while Sue Burke taped a battery pack to her back. Ray was closely observing the procedure, while Aaron, wearing a flamboyant orchid-covered shirt, was delivering the punch line to an old police war story. Gelsey looked at ease.
"Hi!" she said. Her voice was gay. "I like your people." "We like her, too, Frank," Aaron said.
"But does he like me?" Gelsey asked. "He was so tough yesterday I couldn't tell."
Everyone laughed.
"I found you a lawyer." Janek handed her Netti's card. "Call her.
She'll help you settle with Carlson. Sue and I'll take care of Stiegel."
"Who's Stiegel?"
"The cop who took Carlson's complaint," Sue explained.
Suddenly Gelsey didn't look so happy. "I really am in trouble, aren't I?" No one said anything, but Janek could see that the others hoped she'd get out of it.
Sue patted Gelsey on the shoulder. "You're wired. Put on your shirt so we can see how you look."
She looked fine.
"Helping us, you'll be helping yourself," Sue reminded her.
"What about Cavanaugh?" Aaron asked. "He's not going to be happy when he hears she smashed his Omega." "Cavanaugh's compromised, " Janek said.
"Kane's his boy. Kane may even try to implicate him. I think Cavanaugh'll stay quiet, no matter how pissed off."
Ray proposed a payoff site downtown, the plaza behind the Winter Garden at the World Financial Center. There were few people there at night, and although it appeared open, it could easily be bottled up.
Since both Kane and Diana had met Janek, and Kane had also met Sue, Ray felt they would need to borrow a half-dozen men from other units. One would circulate, one would pretend to be homeless, four would impersonate a night cleaning crew. Janek would control the operation and monitor Gelsey's wire from a parked unmarked police communications panel truck.
Janek wanted to check the place out. The five of them piled into a cab.
On site he looked around: The river bound one side of the plaza, new sleek buildings of reflective glass -the other. The spectacular Winter Garden was far enough away that people sitting inside would be out of danger. He approved the plan, assigned Aaron and Ray the job of lining up the van and the extra men. Then he returned to Special Squad with Gelsey and Sue to throw the bait, Sue set up the recording equipment in Janek's office, then returned to the outer room to listen. When everything was ready, Janek signaled Gelsey. She nodded, they picked up their phones, Janek dialed and settled back.
"Hello. May I help you?"
He recognized Kim's crisp tone, remembered the way she'd glared at him in the limousine mirror.
"It's Gelsey."
"One moment, please."
There was a pause, then Diana came on:
"Well… this is a surprise." "Yeah, sure," Gelsey said.
"What's on your mind, pet?"
"Still interested in that whatchamacallit?"
"The Dietz item?"
"Uh-huh..
"I might be. How much do you want?" Diana, Janek thought, was doing a bad job concealing her excitement.
"You mentioned a fifty-fifty split."
"Did I?"
"If you've changed your mind, Diana, forget it."
A brief silence. "The offer stands."
"How much can we get for it?"
"Hard to say. Maybe ten… fifteen K."
Gelsey looked at Janek. He shook his head.
"Not enough," Gelsey said. "if that's all it's worth, you wouldn't have been so fierce about it."
"I didn't mean to be fierce, dear. I really don't know what it's worth.
I won't till I show it to the buyer. "
"Surely you don't expect me to hand it over?"
"I can give you something on account, if that's what you're hinting at."
Again Janek shook his head.